Derrick Burts, Adult Film Actor Infected with HIV During Time in
Industry, to Meet Press Wednesday at 10 AM; Blast Industry’s AIM Clinic

After Testing HIV Positive on October 9th at
the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) Clinic, Derrick
Burts, a 24 year-old Male Adult Film Performer (aka Cameron Reid, Derek
Chambers) Who Contracted HIV While Working in California’s Multi-billion
Dollar Porn Industry, Waited—in Vain—for Over Six Weeks for
Industry-financed AIM Clinic to Link Him to Follow Up Medical Care and
Treatment

Performer Then Anonymously Sought Treatment Through AIDS Healthcare
Foundation, a Longtime Critic of AIM and the Industry’s Lack of Worker
Safety, Which Arranged a Medical Appointment for Him Within 24 Hours at
an AHF Healthcare Center—Without Knowing his Role in the Industry

Derrick Burts, a 24 year-old adult film performer who tested
HIV-positive on October 9th at the Adult Industry Medical
Healthcare Foundation (AIM) clinic, a Sherman Oaks clinic funded by
and serving the adult film industry, will publicly address the media for
the first time since reports of his HIV diagnosis while working in the
adult film industry became public in mid-October, creating an
international media frenzy and shutting down California’s multi-billion
dollar adult industry for several weeks. Burts, who became known as
‘Patient Zeta’ after the news first broke, will appear at a press
conference Wednesday, December 8th at 10:00am Pacific Time at
the headquarters of AIDS
Healthcare Foundation(AHF,6255 Sunset Blvd., 21st
Floor, Los Angeles CA 90028), which over the past four years has
independently been championing safety reforms in the adult film industry
including efforts to require the use of condoms in all adult film
productions.

After testing HIV-positive at AIM’s clinic, Burts, who performed in both
straight and gay adult films during the prior several months under the
screen names Cameron Reid, Cameron Reed and Derek Chambers, waited—in
vain—for over six weeks for AIM and its medical consultant, Dr. (Howard)
Aaron Aronow, to refer and link him with a doctor or other health care
provider for follow up medical care and treatment. Frustrated and
increasingly concerned for his health and wellbeing, Burts
then consulted an out of state friend who referred him back to AIDS
Healthcare Foundation’s network of healthcare centers in Southern
California which provide state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS medical care
regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Burts then anonymously sought
medical treatment for his HIV through AHF, which arranged a medical
appointment for him within 24 hours of his first contact with AHF at one
of its Los Angeles-area AHF Healthcare Centers—without anyone at
AHF knowing his role in the adult film industry.

"No one should have to wait 6 weeks after an HIV diagnosis to be linked
into care," said Laveeza Bhatti, MD, HIV Care Provider, AHF
& Mr. Burts’ physician. "It is extremely important that as soon as a
diagnosis is made that the patient be referred to an appropriate place
for evaluation and medical treatment. In many cases immediate treatment
is of the utmost importance and waiting can have very negative
consequences for the patient. Fortunately, Mr. Burts was able to get all
his tests and evaluation done as soon as he came to AHF. As he was
diagnosed early, he has favorable disease markers."

"As an HIV doctor I routinely see how stressful it can be when a patient
is first diagnosed with HIV. It is critical that patients are promptly
linked to support services, counseling and life saving treatment,” said Shilpa
Sayana, MD, MPH, Global HIV Clinician andHIV Care Provider
for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Studies have shown that delayed
establishment of care following HIV diagnosis is common and is
associated with worse long-term outcomes. Any delay in getting newly
diagnosed HIV patients the care they need is bad for their health and
the health of loved ones."

In early November—to skepticism from both Los Angeles County public
health officials and other HIV/AIDS medical professionals—administrators
from AIM announced that after two rounds of follow up HIV testing on
other adult performers, no subsequent HIV-infections appear to have
occurred among performers who may have worked on camera with Burts.
According to the Los Angeles Times, AIM officials asserted, "It
has been established that Patient Zeta acquired the virus through
private, personal activity and there was no transmission of the HIV
virus from Patient Zeta to anyone else," according to the announcement. (Los
Angeles Times, November 5, 2010, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Reporter).
However, the Times’ article also noted “Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, Los
Angeles County's public health director, said that AIM officials had not
provided his office with the test results or protocols and that without
that information, it was impossible to determine how Patient Zeta
contracted the disease and whether all of those exposed had been tested.”

During his brief tenure working in the adult film industry Burts also
contracted herpes, gonorrhea and chlamydia.

“We are extremely glad to know that Derrick has been linked to care and
is receiving appropriate medical care for his HIV infection through AIDS
Healthcare Foundation, a government-funded non-profit health care
provider,” said Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare
Foundation. “However, we are astounded that the multi-billion dollar
adult film industry and its fig leaf of a clinic could not even get it
together six weeks after his first positive HIV test to link him to
appropriate follow up medical care and treatment, and that
taxpayers—rather than the adult film industry—will be left holding
the bill.”

According to a well-regarded study from Institute of Medicine (IOM), the
estimated lifetime cost of treatment for one HIV-infected individual is
approximately $600,000.